The NHL’s 2025-26 season is rapidly approaching, and on Thn.com’s Sabers site, we’ve been breaking down all the Buffalo Sabres’ opponents for next year. After reviewing the Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions, we now turn our focus to the Central Division, boasting four competitive teams.
Earlier this week, we evaluated the Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, and Dallas Stars in the Central Division. Today, the attention shifts to the Minnesota Wild, one of last season’s five playoff teams from this division.
The Wild have a solid core, including star winger Kirill Kaprizov, standout winger Matt Boldy, top defenseman Blok Faber, and exceptional goaltender Philip Gustafson. As we’ll explore, Minnesota will be a tough challenge for the Sabres in their two meetings next season.
Buffalo Sabres vs Minnesota Wild
New Wild Players: Vladimir Tarasenko (RW), Nico Sturm (LW), Nicolas Aube-Kubel (RW)
2024-25 Series Record: Sabres 0-2-0, Wild 2-0-0
2025-26 Matchups: November 29th in Minnesota, January 17th in Buffalo
Can the Sabres overcome this team? Last year’s encounters were disappointing for Buffalo, as Minnesota shut out the Sabres 1-0 in November and later triumphed 4-1 in March. Wild goalie Philip Gustafson was dominant, stopping 59 shots across those two wins.
However, there are doubts about Minnesota’s General Manager Bill Guerin’s strategy. Having escaped previous challenging contracts, Guerin has about $9.4 million in salary cap space, though some must go to promising young center Marcorossi, a key young player needing a contract.
Yet, an important concern looms: the Wild’s roster feels aged, with eight of the 12 forwards over 30 years old. This partly explains why Vladimir Tarasenko was available from Detroit—his performance has dipped.
On defense, while Faber and veteran Jonas Brodin are elite, there’s limited depth behind them. Jared Spurgeon, a veteran, will turn 36 in November, and young players Zeev Buium and David Jiricek are just 19 and 21 years old, respectively, leading to uncertainty in this group.
Still, Guerin may be aiming for deeper playoff runs despite these concerns. If the Wild fail to improve, they risk falling out of the playoff race in the Central Division, which would bring heavy criticism to Guerin’s approach.
This means the Wild will be desperate for wins next season. Since the Sabres struggled against Minnesota last year, Buffalo will likely be motivated to split the series and make a strong statement.
Playing Minnesota twice before late January works in Buffalo’s favor, as Guerin could still be spending cap space on veterans after the trade deadline. Meeting the Wild earlier offers the Sabres a better chance to gain ground.
Either way, the Sabres will be driven to beat Minnesota next season. Losing both games again would place pressure on Buffalo’s management, while a strong showing against the Wild would send a bold message to the league.
Fan Take: This rivalry highlights the critical crossroads for both teams—Minnesota’s aging roster versus Buffalo’s drive to break a long playoff drought. It’s a matchup that could shape the Central Division’s future landscape and signal a shift in NHL competitive balance.
